Method of combining heat pipe and fins and the assembly thereof

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a method of combining heat pipes and fins and the assembly thereof. The fins are stacked, each of which has holes, extending walls around the holes, lateral plates beside the extending walls to form a receiving portion therein communicated with a first opening of the extending wall respectively. The fins are placed with the receiving portions under the holes first. A solder material is injected into the receiving portions by a needle. The heat pipes are inserted into the holes of the fins, and then the fins are tipped over to have the receiving portions above the holes. Now the fins are heated to melt the solder material, and the molten solder material will flow to spaces between the heat pipe and the extending walls of the fins to fix the heat pipes to the fins.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a thermal dissipating device,and more particularly to a method of combining at least one heat pipeand fins and the assembly thereof.

2. Description of the Related Art

A conventional thermal dissipating device, for example heat sink, has asubstrate with a plurality of upright fins thereon. The fins provide alarge surface area to get a greater thermal dissipating performance.

Another conventional thermal dissipating device includes a heat pipemounted on a substrate and a plurality of fins fitted to the heat pipe.The heat pipe, which has a high isothermal property, transfers the heatto the fins fast, and the fins dissipate the heat out by the largesurface area.

However, the combination of the heat pipe and the fins is not only theheat pipe passing through the fins. The contact area of the heat pipeand the fins is an important issue. Taiwan patent no. M271,361, whichdiscloses a combination of a heat pipe and fins, provides each of thefins with a protrusion and a receiving portion of tin beside theprotrusion. The receiving portion of tin may be a slot or a bendportion. However, the patent, referring to FIG. 3 of the patent, has toput tin in the receiving portion of each fin, and then stack the finsand pass the heat pipe through the fins. After that, the fins are heatedto melt the tin, and the molten tins will flow to a portion between theheat pipe and the protrusions respectively.

The tin is put in the receiving portion of each fin before stacking thefins in aforesaid patent. In fact, it is the molten tin put in thereceiving portions, referring to FIG. 3 b of the patent. To prevent thetin from escaping when stacking the fins, the fins are stacked when thetin has solidified that will prolong the manufacture time. In addition,it is possible that the tin escapes from the receiving portions beforethe fins are staked and the heat pipe is inserted through. As shown inFIG. 3 d of the patent, in the process of inserting the heat pipe, thetin is above the heat pipe, which means the receiving portions aredownward, that may drop the tin. The escape of the tin will affect thedefective ratio of manufacture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a method ofcombining heat pipe and fins and the assembly thereof, which provides afaster and easier way of combination of the heat pipe and fins.

The secondary objective of the present invention is to provide a methodof combining heat pipe and fins and the assembly thereof, which providesa stable condition of tin put on the fin and less defective ration ofmanufacture.

According to the objectives of the present invention, a method ofcombining at least one heat pipe and a plurality of fins includes thesteps of: a) Preparing the heat pipe and the fins, wherein the fins arestacked, each of which has at least one hole for the heat pipe passingtherethrough, at least one extending wall, which has a first opening,around the hole, at least one lateral plate beside the extending wall toform a receiving portion therein and a second opening communicated withthe first opening of the extending wall. b) Adjusting angles of the finsto have the receiving portions above the first openings, and inserting aneedle into the holes of the fins to inject a solder material into thereceiving portions via the second openings respectively. c) Insertingthe heat pipe into the holes of the fins. d) Tipping the fins and overto have the receiving portion above the first openings. e) Heating thefins and the heat pipe to melt the solder material, so that the moltensolder material will flow to spaces between the heat pipe and theextending walls of the fins through the second openings and the firstopenings respectively; and f) cooling the solder material to fix theheat pipe to the extending walls of the fins and increase contactingareas of the heat pipe and the extending walls.

An assembly made by the method of the present invention includes aplurality of fins stacking, each of which has at least one hole alignedwith each other, at least one extending wall, which has a first opening,around the hole, and at least one lateral plate with a receiving portionand a second opening aligned with the first opening respectively. Atleast a heat pipe is inserted through the holes of the fins; and asolder material filled in spaces between the heat pipe and the extendingwalls of the fins.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the fins of a first preferred embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, showing a needle injecting tin;

FIG. 4 is a right view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, showing the heat pipe passing through the fins;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, showing the fins turning over;

FIG. 7 is a front view of the first preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, showing the combination of the fin and the heat pipe afterthe tin had solidified;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the fins of a second preferredembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention only provides one heat pipe 21 inserted intothrough hole 12.

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 7, a method of the first preferred embodimentof the present invention includes the following steps:

a) Preparation of a plurality of fins 11 and heat pipes 21: The fins 11are stacked, each of which has a plurality of holes 12. The heat pipes21 may pass through the holes 12 of the fins 11 respectively. Each ofthe fins 11 has an extending wall 14 around each of the holes 12respectively. Each of the extending walls 14 has a first opening 141.Each of the fins 11 has a lateral plate 16 in front of each of the firstopening 141 of the extending wall 14. Each of the lateral plate 16 has areceiving portion 17 with a second opening 171 aligned with the firstopening 141. The fins 11 are against distal ends of the extending walls14 and lateral plates 16 of the neighboring fins 11. The extending walls14 and the lateral plates 16 on each of the fins 11 have the samewidths. In the present embodiment, the lateral plates 16 are made bypunching to form U-shaped bent portions on the fins 11, in each of whichthe receiving portion 17 is formed, and at open end of which the secondopening 171 is formed.

b) Injection of a solder material 31: Angles of the fins 11 are adjustedto have the receiving portions 17 under the first openings 141. A needle32 is moved into the holes 12 of the fins 11, as shown in FIG. 3 andFIG. 4, to inject the solder material 31 into the receiving portions 17of the fins 11 via the second opening 171, as shown in FIG. 2. In thepresent embodiment, the solder material 31 is tin.

c) Insertion of the heat pipes 21: As shown in FIG. 5, the heat pipes 21are inserted through the holes 12 of the fins 11.

d) Tipping over: The fins 11 are tipped over, as shown in FIG. 6, tohave the receiving portions 17 above the fist openings 141 respectively.

e) Heating: The solder material 31 will be solidified in step c becauseof no heat source. In the present step, we heat the fins 11 and the heatpipes 21 to melt the solder material 31 that the molten solder material31 will flow to the holes 12 via the second opening 171 and the firstopening 141 and fill a space between the heat pipes 21 and extendingwalls 14 of the fins 11 respectively, as shown in FIG. 7.

f) Chilling: The fins 11 and the heat pipes 21 are chilled to solidifythe solder material 31 that the heat pipes 21 will be fixed to theextending walls 14 of the fins 11 respectively. This will increasecontacting areas of the heat pipes 21 and the extending walls 14.

With the steps above, an assembly 10 of the fins 11 and the heat pipe 21is completed.

The assembly 10 made by the above steps includes:

The fins 11, each of which has the holes 12, the extending walls 14 withthe first openings 14 around the holes 12 respectively and the lateralplates 16 at the first openings 141 of the extending walls 14respectively, are stacked to have the holes 12 aligned with each otherrespectively. Each of the lateral plates 16 has the receiving portion 17therein and the second opening 171 to communicate the receiving portion17 with the corresponding hole 12. The fins 11 are against the distalends of the extending walls 14 and lateral plates 16 of the neighboringfins 11. The extending walls 14 and the lateral plates 16 on each of thefins 11 have the same widths. The lateral plates 16, which are made bypunching, are bent portions of the fin 11 to form U-shaped members, ineach of which the receiving portion 17 is formed, and at open end ofwhich the second opening 171 is formed.

The heat pipes 21 are inserted through the holes 12 of the fins 11respectively.

The solder material 31, which is tin, is filled in the spaces betweenthe extending walls 14 and the heat pipes 21.

As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, a method of combining heat pipe and finsand the assembly 40 thereof of the second preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, which is similar to the first preferred embodiment ofthe present invention, except that:

Each of fins 41 has receiving portions 47, which are formed by twolateral plates 46. The lateral plates 46, which are formed by punchingthe fin 41, have a V shape, and an open end of the V shape faces a holeof the fin 41 to form a second opening 471 and a close end of the Vshape is distal to the hole of the fin 41.

In the present embodiment, there is a gap at the close end of the Vshape that still may contain the semi-molten solder material withoutleakage problem.

The functions of the present invention are injecting the solder materialinto the receiving portions of each of the fins by the needle to makesure all of the receiving portions contain a constant solder material.The solder material will flow to the spaces between the extending wallsand the heat pipes when the fins are tipped over and heated thatprovides a convenient, fast way of combination of the heat pipe and thefins, and the assemblies will have a lower rate of defective inmanufacture.

The description above is a few preferred embodiments of the presentinvention and the equivalence of the present invention is still in thescope of the claim of the present invention.

1. A method of combining at least one heat pipe and a plurality of fins,comprising the steps of: a) preparing the heat pipe and the fins,wherein the fins are stacked, each of which has at least one hole forthe heat pipe passing therethrough, at least one extending wall, whichhas a first opening, around the hole, at least one lateral plate besidethe extending wall to form a receiving portion therein and a secondopening aligned with the first opening of the extending wall; b)adjusting angles of the fins to have the receiving portions under thefirst openings, and inserting a needle into the holes of the fins toinject a solder material into the receiving portions via the secondopenings respectively; c) inserting the heat pipe into the holes of thefins; d) tipping the fins and over to have the receiving portion abovethe first openings; e) heating the fins and the heat pipe to melt thesolder material, so that the molten solder material will flow to spacesbetween the heat pipe and the extending walls of the fins through thesecond openings and the first openings respectively; and f) cooling thesolder material to fix the heat pipe to the extending walls of the finsand increase contacting areas of the heat pipe and the extending walls.2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the solder material in thestep b is tin.
 3. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the fins areagainst distal ends of the extending wall and the lateral plate of theneighboring fins, and the extending walls and the lateral plate have thesame widths in the step a.
 4. The method as defined in claim 3, whereinthe receiving portion is formed by bending the fin to have the lateralplate with a U shape in step a, and the second opening is formed at anopen end of the U shape.
 5. The method as defined in claim 3, whereinthe receiving portion is formed on the fin in such a way that twolateral plates are formed from the fin by stamping with ends thereofproximal to each other and opposite ends thereof distal to each other inthe step a, and the opposite ends thereof distal to each other forms thesecond opening.
 6. An assembly of the at least one heat pipe and thefins made by the method as defined in claim 1, comprising: a pluralityof fins stacking, each of which has at least one hole aligned with eachother, at least one extending wall, which has a first opening, aroundthe hole, and at least one lateral plate with a receiving portion and asecond opening aligned with the first opening respectively; at least aheat pipe inserted through the holes of the fins; a solder materialfilled in spaces between the heat pipe and the extending walls of thefins.
 7. The assembly as defined in claim 6, wherein the solder materialis tin.
 8. The assembly as defined in claim 7, wherein the fins areagainst distal ends of the extending wall and the lateral plate of theneighboring fins, and the extending walls and the lateral plate have thesame widths.
 9. The assembly as defined in claim 8, wherein thereceiving portion is formed by bending the fin to have the lateral platewith a U shape, and the second opening is formed at an open end of the Ushape.
 10. The method as defined in claim 8, wherein the receivingportion is formed on the fin in such a way that two lateral plates areformed from the fin by stamping with ends thereof proximal to each otherand opposite ends thereof distal to each other in the step a, and theopposite ends thereof distal to each other forms the second opening.